Rise of the Sovereign
by MemoryOfNothing
Summary: An alternative spin off to Syndra's lore. Story narrates the tale of a younger Syndra and Irelia, documenting the series of events that lead to Syndra's evolution into the dark sovereign. Warning: This fanfiction is inconsistent with existing League of Legends lore.
1. Chapter 1: Prelude to an End

**Prelude to an End**

Syndra yawned and rested her head on her desk. At the front of the classroom, the arch mage continued his droning lecture about magic manipulation. _Boring._ She thought as she drew invisible circles on her desk with her hand. Moments later, Syndra felt a furious glare being fixated on her from the arch mage at the front of the room. Syndra didn't even bother looking up or pretending like she was paying attention. She didn't care one bit. Basic magic manipulation was boring. So very boring…

"And perhaps Syndra would like to demonstrate this concept that we have been covering for the past two hours?" The arch mage questioned suddenly and loudly.

"What?" Syndra replied, still uninterested. She shifted her head slightly so that the arch mage was in her field of vision

"Ah, you see Syndra, you should pay attention, that way you would know what we are-"

"No, what do you want me to do." Syndra interrupted rudely with a tone of nonchalance.

"A movement spell, one that would be easy for someone that pays-" Syndra interrupted the man again by reaching out with her right hand. Pointing her hand in the direction of an empty chair, Syndra called the chair, willing it to move at her accord. Syndra clenched her hand. Immediately, the chair shuddered as it were being held by an imaginary hand. Then, Syndra promptly moved her hand straight towards the arch mage. The action sent the chair zooming across the room and knocking directly into the back of the mage's legs. The man gave a yelp of surprise as his legs buckled and he landed in an awkward sitting position in the chair. He blinked, stunned with surprise. Small chuckles arose from the room as the other students suppressed outright laughter. Syndra sighed and turned her head back away from the mage.

"Boring…" She muttered. The arch mage's face turned beet red, utterly defeated by Syndra's innate ability to wield magic. The mage promptly leapt back to his feet and furiously continued his lecture as though he were pretending that the event had never occurred. Syndra sighed as she tuned out the man's voice and let her mind drift aimlessly. This was her second year at battle training, yet she felt like she had accomplished nothing. Everything they taught her, she picked up immediately whether she tried to or not. Realistically, there was only one reason she stayed at the school, and that was her one and only friend Irelia. Syndra lifted her head and gazed out of the window, straining to see the soldier's training grounds located opposite to the mage's quarters. –_Ring-_ the sound of bells in the distance snapped Syndra out of her daze; classes were over for the day. Syndra immediately got out of her seat and hurried out the building.

The moment Syndra got out of the mage's compound, she immediately headed over to the battle coliseum in the warriors training grounds. There was already a match going on when Syndra entered the coliseum, a young girl in her late teens versus a large burly male in his early twenties. Syndra smiled at the match up, already knowing who would win. The male clearly had brute force and strength on his side, but what the girl lacked in pure power, she made up with nimble dexterity and speed. At the moment, the male had the advantage, he had the girl pinned against the wall and was hammering heavily on the shield on her left arm.

"Rah!" The male suddenly roared and swung down with his sword, using both hands. The blow was so heavy that the shield shattered under the pressure. Instantly, the crowd roared with approval, their expectation for the man's victory drawing near. But Syndra knew better, this was going to be an upset. The girl, suddenly free of the bulky and burdening shield on her left arm instantly ducked beneath the man's next blow. The crowed "ooh'd" and "ah'd" with exhilaration as the girl danced between the man's hammer blows. Finally, the man grew impatient as none of his attacks even forced the girl to block. Recklessly, he charged forward with a massive overhand cleave. _Opening_ Syndra thought subconsciously. Indeed, the girl capitalized on the man's impatience. With blinding speed, the girl sidestepped the blow and counterattacked with a ferocious knee straight into the man's gut. The force of the blow combined with the man's downward momentum completely winded him. He collapsed to the floor on all fours, gasping for air. The crowd instantly shot to its feet and roared with surprise, calling for the girl to finish the fight. They expected the girl to severely injure the man with her sword as tradition usually dictated, but she didn't comply. Instead, she drew a small dagger from her waist and pricked the man's skin, drawing a few droplets of blood. The crowd immediately went silent.

"By rule of first blood drawn, the winner is Irelia!" A booming voice echoed over the stadium. Instantly, the crowd roared booed as their bloodlust went unsatisfied. The girl threw off her armored helmet and shook out her hair. She immediately turned to her downed opponent and offered to help him up. He snarled and swatted the hand aside.

"You cheated" The man finally growled at her "You made me destroy your shield so you would have an advantage." Irelia shrugged in response before replying:

"In the battlefield, I'm allowed to discard my shield along with anything that weighs me down." Irelia continued "You had the advantage walking into this match. Don't complain about bring yourself down, blockhead." With that, Irelia turned away from her downed opponent and walked swiftly into the locker room.

Syndra was waiting outside the coliseum when Irelia came strolling out of the doors. Immediately, Syndra felt happier when her gaze fell upon the blossoming young woman. As Irelia reached Syndra, the two turned and began walking together. It was an odd sight, the two girls walking together. Although they were both eighteen years old, that number was about the only thing similar about the two girls aside from the color of their hair. On one side, Syndra came from a fairly dark background. Her parents, whom she had never met, abandoned her as a newborn infant in front of a foster home. Later, she was discovered to harness an incredible amount of latent magic ability, a fact that would eventually serve to isolate her. Irelia, on the other hand, came from a wealthy family. Though she did not know her mother well, her father was an incredibly famous and well known blacksmith. This in turn made her equally famous and well known. Indeed, she was quite popular among her peers. The contrast between the two was none more apparent than in their vastly different personalities. Syndra was a dark and brooding type, usually taking interest in darker, more violent material, while Irelia was a lighter hearted and fun-loving person. Perhaps it was the contrast between their personalities that made their friendship so strong, perhaps it was something else. Regardless, the two had become almost inseparable over their past several years of friendship.

"I watched your match earlier." Syndra finally spoke up, after a few minutes passed in silence.

"Oh?" Irelia replied, somewhat absentmindedly.

"I knew you were going to win." Syndra continued almost smugly. Irelia smiled in response, but didn't reply. Suddenly, Irelia turned and bear-hugged Syndra from behind. Syndra yelped in surprise and cried out,

"'Relia! Stop it!" Syndra laughed aloud.

"There! That's better!" Irelia replied with a large smile on her face. "Stop being so mopey!" Irelia took both of her hands and pinched Syndra's cheeks, pulling upwards and creating an exaggerated smile on Syndra's face. Syndra pulled away, looking slightly flustered. She smiled slightly, but tried to cover it with a small cough. The two rounded a corner and paused briefly to look at a news stand on the corner. It was not updated, still displaying word the Ionian defeat at the hands of Noxus from the previous week. There was a picture of the Ionian commander of the battalion that had been defeated. He was still missing in action. Irelia gave a small sniff of disappointment as though she was hoping that the commander was still alive. Syndra looked away, disinterested with the entire war.

"Ah, excuse me ladies" A voice spoke from behind the pair. It was a messenger. "Parcel for… actually, both of you. How convenient!" The man exclaimed happily, though he deliberately avoided making eye contact with Syndra.

"What is it?" Syndra questioned dubiously. She never got mail and was unaccustomed to receiving it.

"No idea, but its official." The man replied nervously as he pointed at the red Ionian seal that held the letter closed.

"Well, better run, lots more to deliver!" The man quickly continued, eager to get away from Syndra. Immediately, he turned and hurried down another street.

The two girls simultaneously opened their letters. The message was the same:

In observance of outstanding performance in training, you are hereby ordered to report to the boundary forest, coordinates (624,800) for advanced tactical training. Orders are effective immediately.

The letter was stamped at the bottom with an official Ionian seal of approval. Syndra groaned out load.

"I wanted food first…" she complained lazily

"Oh c'mon Syndra, it can't be that bad…" Irelia replied.


	2. Chapter 2: Origin of the Sphere

**Origin of the Sphere**

The pair of girls arrived at the boundary forest thirty minutes after they had received their orders. No one was present in the area. Then, Irelia stopped walking abruptly, causing Syndra to bump into her back.

"Sorry." Syndra muttered, wondering why Irelia had stopped walking. Irelia squinted at the path in front of them, there was a slight shimmer in the air. Slowly, she bent down and picked up a pebble from the ground beneath them. Then, she tossed it. Instantly, the air around them shattered, breaking the illusion that they had been placed under. Syndra gasped as she brought her wandering mind back into attention. _They were being tricked to begin with_ both Syndra and Irelia thought simultaneously.

"Watch it!" Irelia suddenly yelled as she shoved Syndra hard. Milliseconds later, a sharpened spear plunged into a floor where Syndra was standing a moment ago.

"Go!" Irelia yelled to Syndra, as Syndra scrambled to her feet.

Syndra and Irelia ran together, stumbling through over the gnarled roots of ancient trees as they tried to escape from the maze like forest.

"Hu-hu-hu-hu-hu! Where are you my lovelies?" the man's voice echoed from somewhere a moderate distance away.

"c'mon!" Irelia breathed out, gently pushing Syndra in the direction opposite of the man's voice. Syndra stumbled again as she forced her exhausted body to go in the direction indicated by Irelia.

"Oh-ho! You two make this just so much funner!" the man's voice cackled, his voice getting nearer.

Irelia glanced around, but couldn't distinguish their pursuer's location from the tangle mire of bushes and trees that they were surrounded by. Irelia racked her brain for some sort of strategy to help them escape. Alas, none came to her. She ground her teeth and let out an angry grunt of frustration as the two continued their flight. Finally, Syndra, fatigued from running for far longer than she was accustomed to, tripped on the uneven forest floor. Irelia, who was following closely behind her, didn't have enough time to react, leading to her tripping and landing on Syndra's back.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Irelia asked almost surprised that Syndra had fallen. Syndra replied with a moan as she rolled over onto her back. The look of exhaustion on Syndra's face said a million words. Finally, Irelia realized their folly. While Irelia was conditioned to be a seasoned warrior on the frontlines of battle, Syndra was a mage. She lacked the physical training that Irelia had come to take for granted.

"Hee hee, found you!" the man's voice sneered as he leapt down from a tree branch above the pair of girls.

"Time to die! Hee hee hee!" he sneered again as he circled the two and drew a long blade from a scabbard at his waist. Irelia grimly stood up and took a position directly between Syndra and the psychopath.

"Oho! Lookie lookie a hero! Oh wait! Just kidding, what a nice volunteer!" the man hooted with delight. Then, after a brief pause, he twitched, shuddered, and lunged at Irelia with a wild cleaving swing. _Easy_. Irelia thought to herself as her combat instincts kicked in. Deftly, Irelia ducked under the swing and brought her body underneath the man's outstretched arm. With her back now to the man's chest, Irelia used her spinning momentum to her advantage. With all her strength, she brought her elbow smashing into the man's gut. She expected to make contact with the man's squishy stomach. No such luck. Instead, her elbow smashed into a completely rigid surface. Irelia cringed as pain lanced through her arm. _Armor_ Irelia's conscience said. That was definitely armor beneath the cloak he was wearing.

"Hee hee hee! The man cackled "Prey that can fight back is all the more rewarding to…"

Syndra didn't let him finish his sentence. After all, his attack had placed him directly next to her. The fact that he had turned to taunt Irelia presented his back to her. A perfect opportunity to strike. With blind rage, she flung herself at the man's back, clinging onto him by throwing one arm over his shoulder, the other beneath his opposite armpit and clasping her hands together. With both of her arms occupied, Syndra attacked with the only other thing she could think of. Savagely, she sank her teeth into the man's neck, gouging out a portion of flesh.

Instantly, the man howled in agony and screamed "Fucking bitch!" Then, with equal rage, he reached behind him with his free hand, took a fist full of Syndra's hair, and forcefully hurled her over his shoulder. Syndra cried out in pain, but refused to release her grip on the man's cloak. There was a tearing noise as the cloth was unable to withstand the strains put on it. As Syndra catapulted through the air, the cloth gave way to reveal a man clad in very, very distinctive armor. Syndra didn't notice though, the last thing she felt was a searing pain through her skull as she collided with a nearby tree trunk and slumped to the floor completely unconscious.

Irelia stood stunned as she gazed at the armor clad figure before her.

"No…" She whispered. "No… No, No no no no No!" She almost sobbed as she gazed at the man's armor. It wasn't any armor. It was Ionian battle armor and not just any battle armor. Though the insignia was faded, and the armor was worn, the mark was definitely there. On the breastplate of the armor was Ionia's war crest, a symbol of an Ionian commander.

Irelia's shoulders sagged as her will to fight drained from her body. "Commander… why?" she whispered in a barely audible voice.

The man turned around and spat "Why? I'll tell you why. This fucking god damn country that's why." The commander paused before continuing his tirade "I lost so many men. I sent so many soldiers to their doom. So many! They are all fucking dead now. And for what? We never could be Noxus, and we never will. But no, you people and your stupid fucking ideals just have to go keep right on fighting. How many more must die before you realize how stupid this is?" The man finally stopped with a deep breath. "You know too much now." He finally said after a brief moment.

That snapped Irelia back out of her trance. Instinctively, she lowered herself into a fighting stance, intent to defeat her target. The man tightened his grip around his sword and attacked without hesitation. This time, the results were different from the previous. Unlike his first attack, this one was cold, calculated, and had pure killing intent. Against a commander with years of war experience, young Irelia was hardly a match. Without a weapon to defend herself, Irelia could only dodge the deadly blade. The commander took advantage of this and easily forced Irelia to bump into a tree. The brief contact disoriented Irelia, causing her movements to slow for a split second. It was all that was needed. Irelia felt a searing pain pierce her stomach, followed by a cold, numbing sensation that she could not understand. She collapsed to the floor, unable to move as blood slowly trickled from her chest onto the forest floor. Her eyelids grew heavy and her eyes had difficulty focusing on anything. _Is this what it is like to die?_ She thought to herself as her consciousness wavered. Finally, her mind was engulfed in darkness,

The commander stood up and took a deep breath. It was harder killing one of his own than he thought it would be. He spat on the floor. _It was only because there were two of them_. He thought to himself as though he was trying to convince himself of his own accomplishment.

"_How…. Dare… You…"_ a hollow, echoing voice sounded from behind him.

He froze and slowly turned around. It was Syndra. She had risen from her crumpled position at the base of the tree trunk and was floating a full meter above the ground. Her eyes still shut.

"Tch. Should have finished you earlier." The commander spat nastily at Syndra. She ignored his words. Instead, pure violet liquid oozed out from underneath her eye lids, forming streaks on her face. Tears of pure rage. Finally, Syndra opened her eyes. The piercing violet of her irises had vanished. In fact, her eyes had completely disappeared. In their place was a burning pure violet flame. Syndra couldn't feel anything. She could only feel her anger and sorrow of loss. It consumed her. Engulfed her.

"_Die…"_ She finally whispered with a voice of pure venom.

"You fucking die you fucking bi-" The commander could not even finish his sentence as Syndra cut him off with a cry of rage. Instantly, Syndra's veins glowed violet and pure energy surged through her body. Syndra's face contorted with rage as she gazed at the man before her. Then, her thoughts suddenly became clear. _This man will die by my hand. _Syndra thought. Then, with this single thought in her mind, she willed it to be true. There was a clanging sound and then a horrifying squelch as though someone had stepped on a tomato. Before her, the commander had stopped moving, mid-swing from decapitating Syndra. Only Syndra wasn't the one that was decapitated. In place of the commander's head was a pitch black sphere perched neatly on top of the man's bleeding neck.

Seeing the decapitated corpse seemed to pacify Syndra. Gradually, the violet glow that emanated from her veins faded and she descended back to the ground... only for her legs to completely give out from beneath her. Syndra collapsed to the floor once more, feeling as though every ounce of her energy had been drained from her body. She turned her head over and got a glimpse of Irelia's limp form. Instantly, adrenaline shot through her body as she forced herself to crawl over to her friend's side. Upon reaching her, Syndra felt all of her energy once again drain from her body. She couldn't resist the darkness any longer. Cradling Irelia's body, Syndra's consciousness faded, the only thought on her mind was to save her friend.


	3. Chapter 3: Shrouded in Mystery

**Shrouded in Mystery**

Syndra jerked awake as a hand gently close around her wrist. Blindly, she snatched the hand and willed her magic through her body, instantly illuminating herself with a violet glow.

"Whoa! Whoa, whoa…" A man's voice spoke, "Easy Syndra… Easy…" Syndra jerked her head around, searching for the source of the man's voice. Finally, the man hovered into her view. He brought his face near Syndra's before speaking softly and gently.

"Easy Syndra, we are not here to hurt you." He spoke slowly and drawn out, as though he were trying to pacify her. Syndra blinked and unconsciously released the nurse's arm from her grasp. Gently, Syndra brought a hand to her temple, massaging it as pain stabbed through her brain.

"Good. Good…" The man said with his soothing tone.

"'Relia…" Syndra finally managed to croak. The man froze but didn't answer.

"Irelia…" She repeated, this time slightly more firmly.

"Now isn't the time, Syndra. Rest." The man gently pushed Syndra back down into her hospital bed and muttered a spell. Syndra opened her mouth to protest, but she was already weakened. Finally, the spell took effect and Syndra's eyes fluttered shut. Her world faded into a restful darkness.

"Hey." The man spoke when he was sure that Syndra was unconscious.

"Yes, sir?" the nurse replied.

"Make sure you don't let her see those." The man gestured at a pile of empty syringes on a tray next to Syndra's bed.

"Of course sir."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Syndra woke up again, several hours later. She was alone in her room. Glancing around, she immediately understood where she was. _Hospital_ her subconscious told her. Suddenly, the door opened. A nurse and a wizened man entered the room.

"Awake already are we?" The nurse said feigning affection through the fear in her voice as she set down a plate of food on the stand next to Syndra's bed. Syndra didn't reply, instead, she demanded.

"Irelia. Where." The nurse froze and looked at the man. He sighed and sat down at the foot of Syndra's bed. Syndra fixed a baleful glare at the man, her eyes demanding an answer.

Again, the man sighed before he looked her straight in the eyes.

"She's dead, Syndra." Syndra blinked failing to understand his words.

"No. Where's Irelia." Syndra repeated as though it was the man who didn't understand her question.

"She's gone, Syndra. You killed her."

The color from Syndra's face drained. Her mouth moved slightly as if saying "I killed her." Vaguely, she remembered cradling Irelia's limp body in the forest. Suddenly, Syndra started trembling violently, tears flowing uncontrollably down her face. Finally, she screamed; or rather wailed in agony as the weight of the man's words dawned on her brain. Forcefully, she grabbed the man by the collar of her shirt and pounded a fist against his chest. An attack more out of blind rage and loss as opposed to one intended to inflict injury. The man gently removed Syndra's grasp on his collar and pushed her back into the bed. Instinctively, she curled up into a ball, hugging her pillow to her chest, tears still rolling uncontrollably down her face. Silently, the man rose from the foot of Syndra's bed and motioned for the nurse to leave. Both adults left with a quiet _click_ as the door locked shut behind them. Syndra didn't notice as she slowly, agonizingly cried herself to sleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

A day later, the same pair of adults re-entered Syndra's room. With no tears left to cry, Syndra was merely sitting upright, her eyes boring a hole into the wall opposite of her. She took no notice of the nurse's actions as the woman took her pulse and measured her breathing rate.

"She's perfectly fine physically." The nurse spoke up "No idea on the mental health though."

"Thank you." The man said and motioned for the nurse to leave. She gladly obliged.

"Syndra." The man said quietly. Syndra turned her dead-faced gaze to the man.

"My name is Attic. I am the head warden of the Ionia Institute of Magic. I am here to invite you to our school." Syndra made no visible response.

"Our school is very accepting of mages of all types of caliber." Attic explained "However, we need to teach you control." He glanced at Syndra for a hint of recognition, but there was none. Finally, he grew impatient.

"You will be coming with us." He stated firmly, placing a hand on Syndra's back. Immediately, she felt a burning sensation on her back as though a hot iron were being pressed against her skin. But once again, Syndra didn't react. All she felt was the numbness, the loss, the pain, and the loneliness of losing the one thing she treasured.


	4. Chapter 4: Revelation of Darkness

**Revelation of Darkness**

Syndra sat in a corner of her room, hugging her knees to her chest. It had been two years since she last saw Irelia. The weight of her death had not gotten any lighter for Syndra. She wanted to blame someone, something, anything. But there was nobody else to blame, only herself. Syndra glanced at herself in the reflection of a mirror on the wall opposite to her. She despised herself. She despised her magic. She despised her power that had destroyed the one thing she held dearest to her. Syndra buried her face in her knees. She stayed there in that position for several minutes until the chime of a distant bell indicated that the daily postage had arrived. Syndra didn't want to move, but attendance was mandatory. She heaved a heavy sigh and pushed her loneliness to the back of her mind as she dragged herself to her feet and trudged to the door.

In the courtyard of the school, students were flocking over the mail carrier, eager to receive their letters, gifts, and messages from home. Syndra wasn't interested though. She never got any mail or gifts. After all, the one person that might have sent her anything was dead. Syndra merely waited by the entrance to the courtyard, watching in envy as the other students read their letters and opened their gifts with zeal. But then, she noticed something in the pile of mail, a small envelope with a red Ionian seal on the back. Syndra felt inexplicably drawn to it. The mail carrier was quick to notice Syndra's interest and made an effort to inconspicuously hide the letter beneath the pile. Syndra narrowed her eyes suspiciously. A part of her wanted to forcibly seize the parcel, but Syndra knew better than to cause a scene now. She turned away, feigning disinterest, though she kept a careful eye on the mail carrier. Upon seeing her look away, the man unconsciously heaved a sigh of relief. _Too obvious_. Syndra thought to herself. That parcel was definitely hers, and for some reason, they didn't want her to have it.

Syndra returned to her quarters immediately after the signal was given. She had work to do. While other students were unaware of the security measures in the school, Syndra detected these systems the moment she set foot on the campus. On the surface, the magic network that was interlaced throughout the entire school was used for communication. But Syndra knew that this wasn't the only thing that it was used for. It was simultaneously a security system that enabled the wardens of the school to keep a close eye on the students. A perfect system if it was only being used to monitor low caliber mages or magic-less people, but it was far from suitable for usage against Syndra. Taking her position in the corner of the room, Syndra acted as though she were going back to moping about. Secretly, however, she reached behind her back and burned a small hole in the wall. _I win._ Syndra smirked as her finger made contact with the main magic line inside the wall. Syndra then sent her own pulse of magic through the line, searching through the entire network for a clue. She found it almost immediately. In a remote part of the campus, the mail carrier was having a hushed conversation with the head warden of the school.

"Whoever was supposed to filter the mail _didn't_ filter out hers'!"

"Tell me she didn't notice." The warden hissed through gritted teeth

"She looked like she did at first, but I hid it in the pile of mail. She didn't seem very interested afterwards so I don't think she did." The carrier replied.

"You better hope she didn't. This whole plan will fall apart with just the slightest blunder. You know what will happen if we do not seal away her power, her capacity for destruction is beyond that of anything we have ever seen!" The warden concluded. The mail carrier nodded meekly in response.

"This better not happen again." The warden almost snarled as he turned and walked away with the small envelope in his hand.

With that, Syndra had heard enough. She immediately disconnected from the magic network and _smiled_. For the first time in many months, she felt excited, no ecstatic. _Time for some fun_. Syndra thought with the smile still on her face. Five minutes later, Syndra arrived at the training grounds. Here, students were allowed to freely exercise their magic abilities. It was all too convenient for Syndra. Although her presence there drew curious gazes from the other students at the grounds, Syndra ignored them. She was here to make a scene. Syndra smirked mischievously and summoned three of her spheres onto the floor next to her. The three spheres fell with a heavy clang to the floor. Syndra glanced around quickly. More eyes were on her. _Doesn't matter_. Syndra thought privately. She then deliberately allowed the spheres to begin to destabilize. Without her conscious effort to maintain a definite shape, the spheres began to warp, leaking dark purple magic and jettisoning residual energy. Finally, Syndra gave a wide grin and audibly spoke:

"Woops!" She said with such gross insincerity that it was clear that she never had any intent of controlling her ability. With that, Syndra forcibly blasted the spheres away from her. As each sphere collided with a foreign object, they completely deteriorated, exploding in a raw burst of pure liquid magic and engulfing anything the liquid touched in a blaze of violet flames. Instantly, alarms went berserk throughout the training grounds, as they reacted to the presence of volatile, unstable magic. _Perfect_ Syndra thought as she ducked in with the crowd that was evacuated the building. The flames spread rapidly throughout the structure, hungrily eating away at the building. Within minutes, the wardens were on the scene, placing seals and containment spells to prevent the flames from spreading further. But Syndra was already gone. Setting the training grounds on fire was a mere distraction for her true objective. In the panic and confusion, Syndra quickly slipped off in the direction of the head warden's quarters.

Entering the wardens' grounds was a clear violation of almost every rule in the school's code of conduct, but Syndra was past caring. Syndra blasted the front gates of the grounds clear off of their hinges and marched straight through the front door of the main building. Immediately, Syndra headed in the direction of the headmaster's office. It only took a minute for her to get there. In the headmaster's hurry to contain the fire at the training grounds, he neglected to even lock the door to his office. Syndra burst into the room, her breath short and rapid, her pupils dilated in excitement as she neared her goal. There, on the top of the headmaster's desk was the small envelope Syndra saw earlier. Immediately, she snatched the parcel off of the desk and tore the envelop open, and read.

Dear Syndra,

It has been so long since we last saw each other. I think it has almost been two years now. I miss you so much. But you never reply to any mail that I send you. I am worried about you Syndra, Why aren't you replying? Syndra, please send something back to me, let me know that you are okay. It is hard for me to put my feelings into this paper right now. I just… don't know. This may be the last letter that I ever send to you. I am a commander of a legion of Ionian soldiers now. Tomorrow, we leave for the front lines to try to halt the Noxian invasion. I'm scared Syndra. This is my first battle, and I hope that I will not let anyone down. I'm sorry if this is the last letter that I ever send to you. But if it is, I am most likely not on this planet anymore. Don't cry for me Syndra; be strong because I will always be thinking of you.

Irelia

By the time Syndra finished reading the letter, she was in tears. Irelia was alive, but not only that, she had been trying to contact Syndra this entire time. Syndra read the letter again, and again, and again. She memorized it down to the smudges of ink and wrinkles in the paper. When there was nothing more to take in, she looked for something else to sate her hunger. Syndra grabbed the envelope that the letter came in and shook it upside down. A small slip of paper fell out and landed face up on the desk. It was a picture of Irelia. She had changed over the past two years. Taller and shapelier, but above all, there was a look of forsakenness in her eyes, an empty gaze as though she were missing something, or rather someone. Syndra felt anguish as she gazed into the static eyes in the photo and ran a thumb over the Irelia's face. Finally, she broke down in tears. Not violet tears, but clear ones. It was the first time Syndra ever cried for someone. It hurt unlike any pain she had ever felt before. It wasn't a pain from anger or injury, but rather a pain that tore at the very fibers of her soul. Minutes passed as Syndra finally cried her tears away. _More_. She thought and fervently began to search for more letters. It didn't take long for her to find them. They were all in a box inside of the warden's desk drawer.

Syndra forcefully yanked the box out of the desk drawer and onto the floor. She didn't even bother taking the box to the desk so she could sit in a chair to read. No, instead, she remained sitting cross-legged on the floor and immediately began feasting her eyes on the contents of the hundreds of letters in the box. Syndra read… and read… and read… until she had read every last word on every last letter.

Dear Syndra,

Today, I was released from the hospital. They said that I should have never survived because I had lost so much blood. They also said something about violet colored magic. I wonder who if anyone I know wields purple magic. Haha, yes Syndra, I have no doubt it was you that save me back then. Send me a letter back!

Irelia

Finally, she leaned back and took a deep breath. _What could it mean?_ She pondered. She didn't kill Irelia at all. In fact, she was the one that _saved_ her. Syndra stopped suddenly, stunned as she came to a realization. The teachers here didn't want to teach her to control her power; they wanted to take it away! Syndra's eyes widened in terror as she then drew a further conclusion. Her power had saved Irelia, and they were trying to take away her power? Then they were trying to take away Irelia! Syndra's breath became agitated as panic began setting in. She glanced around, trying to fathom a way in which she could return to Irelia's side as quickly as possible. Then she stopped and realized. _But they have already sealed so much… I've lost too much power!_ Syndra took a deep breath, calming herself. If they sealed her power, she would just need to get it unsealed. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps snapped Syndra out of her trance. She rose calmly from the floor and placed herself in the head warden's chair. Seconds later, all eight wardens burst into the room, and gaped in horror as they saw Syndra sitting in the head warden's chair, the letters collected over the past two years scattered about the floor. Syndra said nothing. She only fixated an ice cold glare at each of the eight men. A minute passed in silence until finally:

"What. The. Hell. Is. This." Syndra hissed in a low voice that dripped with venom.

"Please understa-" "I will not be controlled by you!" Syndra exploded, interrupting the head warden mid sentence.

"Syndra, we were never going to-" "Bullshit!" Syndra roared "You lied to me!" Syndra's breathing became even more shallow and rapid. "You told me I killed her! You're trying to take her away from me!"

"No Syndra, we-" "She is mine! You can't have her!" Syndra shrieked with blatant refusal to listen to any reason.

"We only want to teach-" "Release the seal." Syndra interrupted, her voice suddenly quiet yet demanding.

"Now Syndra, if you refuse to restrain yourself, we will nullify your magic completely!" the head warden warned with a harsh tone.

That did it. Syndra, whose temper was already on its last thread, snapped. Deep within her, Syndra felt the dangerous boils of rage surging through her. She could not even form words as her face twisted with hatred. Sensing the danger, the head master responded immediately.

"Eight Trigram Seal!" He yelled and gestured at Syndra. Instantly, luminous chains sprung from Syndra's back and fastened themselves onto the floor, dragging Syndra down to her knees. But this only served to further agitate Syndra. With a howl of pure killing intent, Syndra completely gave in to her anger. Again, her veins glowed violet as unbounded magic surged through her body, her eyes flared with deep violet flames. Syndra let out another bone chilling cry, this time her voice adopting its distinctive hollow echo.

"This will not restrain me!" Syndra yelled with defiance and forcefully tore free of the complex seal.

Then, focusing her hatred on the eight men who were trying to steal the vestiges of her happiness from her, Syndra lifted them into the air with a wave of her hand.

"Begone!" She shrieked and blindly released a massive torrent of pure magic. The concussive force from the blast sent all eight men flying haphazardly into various sections of the wall behind them. But Syndra was far from done. She desired nothing more than the lives of these men. If the impact of the blast didn't kill them, Syndra made sure that this next attack would. Bringing her eyes to an area that encapsulated all eight wardens, Syndra focused her torrent of magic directly onto them. The intensity of pure magic blistered away their skin and melted their flesh. Death was slow and painful. As the head warden's life slowly ebbed away, Syndra felt the seal on her powers lift. Immediately, the rush of pure energy surged through her body, invigorating her. But more than invigorate her, it _intoxicated _her. Syndra had not felt this good in years.

"Freedom…" Syndra almost laughed to herself hysterically. Then she started laughing aloud. It was a cold, chilling laugh that echoed with madness and power. Finally, Syndra stopped and gazed at her hands, observing herself as though she had been reborn. She reflexively curled and uncurled her fists. Violet energy crackled from her hands in response.

As her ecstasy slowly faded, Syndra came across yet another problem. _What now?_ She wondered. Aimlessly, Syndra drifted about the interior of the warden's main building until she finally stopped at one of the large windows on the front of the building. Just outside the gates to the warden's grounds was a huge mass of students and teachers. Syndra's temple twitched with annoyance. Then, there was a tentative knock on the front door. Unwilling to take the effort to walk down to the doors, Syndra blasted a hole through the door with a dark sphere.

"What." Syndra snapped at the hole from her position at the window. Silence met her ears until the head of one of the teachers cautiously peeked through the hole.

"Syndra?" The teacher asked surprised that she was the one to answer the door. Syndra didn't reply, instead opting to stare at the teacher with an impassive glare. The teacher fidgeted uncomfortably before finally asking

"Have you seen the wardens? We have not heard from them for the past few hours…" the teacher allowed his voice to trail off. Syndra opened her mouth slowly, and then smiled wickedly.

"And you won't hear from them. Ever." Syndra said quietly, still smiling. The teacher blinked without understanding.

"Want to see them?" Syndra asked twistedly after a brief pause. She didn't wait for a reply, but rather flicked her hand. In the rooms behind her, there was a loud crash and clatter as several objects smashed into others. Then, with a loud –bang- , Syndra ripped a gaping hole in the wall opposite the door. From within the hole soared out the eight charred skeletons of the former wardens.

"Oh my god! What did you do!?" the teacher gasped in horror as he beheld the gruesome corpses before him. Syndra smiled inwardly before she finally rose from her position at the window and floated over to the door. A simple flick of her wrist blasted the doors off of their hinges and into the courtyard. Syndra landed lightly and walked slowly over to the teacher who was paralyzed in fear.

"Leave. All of you." Syndra whispered in his ear and gave him a slight push back towards the front gates.

"One hour" Syndra called after him "Then this place will be no more." Syndra finished as the man fled back to his peers.


	5. Chapter 5: My Prison as a Weapon

**My Prison as a Weapon**

Syndra watched from the roof of a building as the last student fled the campus with her belongings. _Hmph_. Syndra breathed as she had second thoughts about letting them all leave alive. _They could have made for some interesting… play-things…_ She thought. Syndra shook the thought off of her mind. After all, she had a destination to get to. A minute later, Syndra rose from her position and took a deep breath, slowly floating down to the campus ground. Finally, she gritted her teeth and focused, drawing from the seemingly infinite well of raw magic within her. Instantly, Syndra's veins flared with a familiar violet glow as massive amounts of magic surged to her fingertips. Her hands quaked as she forcibly gathered more and more magic. _More, just a little bit more_ Syndra thought. Finally, Syndra drew enough magic. Plunging her hands into the floor, Syndra sent every ounce of magic she had gathered underneath the school. Simultaneously, she willed the magic to spread radially outwards. The results were explosive. The ground underneath the school trembled violently as Syndra's magic forcibly severed a large section of earth from the ground beneath it. Then, with the remaining magic present underneath the severed mass of land, Syndra yanked the entire school upwards. Buildings collapsed into piles of rubble as the foundation they were built on gave way, but Syndra's magic held the floating island together. Syndra pulled until her strength gave out and she collapsed to her knees. Panting heavily, Syndra looked over the edge of the floating land mass. She was now several hundred meters above the ground. Syndra grinned widely with exhilaration as she stood up and flexed her hands. _'relia,_ Syndra whispered aloud _wait for me…_

xxxxxxxxx

Irelia gasped for air as she felled yet another enemy. It was endless, war really was a nightmare. Her tactics had allowed her platoon to survive this far, but she and her soldiers were near their limits. There was no end to the Noxian forces, it seemed as though for every enemy they felled, two more took his place.

"Argh-ggggkkkk" screamed a soldier next to Irelia as a noxian soldier impaled him in the throat. Irelia grimaced and lashed out with fury, striking down the noxian with a cleave to his mid section. She quickly glanced around at her to assess the condition of her soldiers. It was grim. Many were cut or wounded in some way, only a few lucky ones were still unscathed. But regardless of their fighting condition, it was clear that everyone was beyond exhaustion.

"We need to regroup!" Irelia yelled to her soldiers. "Begin falling back to the-" Irelia stopped speaking as the battlefield suddenly turned dark, as though a giant shadow had been cast over it. Fearing the worst, she glanced up. She wasn't the only one to look, several of the Noxian soldiers turned their eyes in curiosity to see what had cast the shadow. _It wasn't the Noxian's then?_ Irelia wondered. Irelia squinted at the object in the distance. It was hard to distinguish exactly what it was, but it was massive and moving rapidly towards them. Irelia's eyes widened in rare panic:

"Scatter! Everyone fall back!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Seconds later, her troops broke their primary line of defense and fled away from the approaching object. The Noxians milled about, bewildered over what to do. That was one of the main weaknesses of the Noxus forces. While they were fierce fighters, they often lacked a clear chain of command that could direct the rest of the forces. Irelia ignored the Noxians, intent only on fleeing from the approaching mass. In the distance, Irelia thought she heard an echoing maniacal laugh, but she ignored it. Safety was her number one priority. The object loomed closer. It wasn't until the mass was within three hundred meters that Irelia finally realized exactly how massive the object was and how fast it was moving. Irelia stopped her flight and stared in disbelief. A school. The object was a school, perched on top of what appeared to be a floating island. Closer, the island ever loomed, showing no intent of slowing down. Finally, the Noxian forces began to panic and flee in all directions. But it was too late… Impact. The island smashed into the ground behind the rear lines of the Noxian army with the strength of a meteor. Instantly, the ground shook uncontrollably as it absorbed the energy from the colliding island, sending up a massive cloud of dust, dirt, and debris. Irelia watched in horrified fascination as the island turned what was a battlefield into a full scale calamity. Fragments of the island broke off from the impact and flew off haphazardly in every direction, pelting the Noxian forces with a hail of deadly debris. The chaos lasted a full five minutes. Finally, the dust settled. Whatever forces that were left of the Noxian army bid a hasty retreat. Irelia and her forces stared, stunned with disbelief at what had just happened.

"Up there!" A soldier suddenly cried, breaking the silence. Still floating in the sky was another island with another structure on it. It was in perfect condition and slowly descending to the ground.

"Oh my god! There's someone up there!" another soldier yelled. Irelia squinted as she tried to find the person. Irelia took in a sharp breath as her heart leapt. There was indeed a person on the island. She was sitting, leaning back with both hands on the floor to support herself. Her legs, crossed, were dangling dangerously off the edge of the island. But Irelia had no doubt in her mind about who she was. Tall, shapely, flowing white hair, robes colored with various shades of purple. Her heart suddenly started pounding in her chest as she took a step in the direction of the island. Then, she ran, ignoring the protests from her exhausted body.

"Syndra!" Irelia screamed at the top of her lungs as she stumbled and tripped through the battlefield, desperate to reach the island as fast as possible.


	6. Chapter 6: A Reunion with Misery

**A Reunion with Misery**

Syndra's floating castle slowed to a halt, twenty meters above the ground. Lifting herself up off of the island, she glided the rest of the way down. Syndra's feet had not even touched the ground when Irelia reached up and forcibly snatched her out of the sky with a bear-like hug. Words failed both of them, as they clung to each other until finally; Syndra placed her hands on Irelia's shoulders and gently pushed her backwards. She gave Irelia a scanning gaze, eyeing her up and down. Irelia smiled shyly as she couldn't form any words to speak. Syndra finally broke the silence:

"I... missed you so much…" She managed to stammer, her voice quavering as countless emotions flooded her brain. Syndra opened her mouth again to speak, but Irelia interrupted her:

"Not here, let's go back first…" Syndra nodded mutely in agreement as the two turned and began walking back to the Irelia's camp.

The trip back to the camp was awkward. Neither Syndra nor Irelia spoke a single word to each other, but they continuously stole glances at one another. Whenever their eyes met, there was a pause, as though one were expecting the other to speak; only neither of them did. Irelia's soldiers on the other hand were far from quiet. The entire battalion kept a twenty meter distance behind them and Syndra. They were afraid, deathly afraid.

xxxxxxxxxx

Two hours passed by like minutes as Irelia and Syndra caught up with each other on recent events. Irelia described her acquisition of balance, her training, and her eventual promotion to commander. She was about to wrap up her tale when she was interrupted by a swift knock on the door.

"Enter." Irelia said curtly. The door creaked open and Irelia's second in command entered the room with a swift salute. He gave Syndra a hesitant glance, traces of fear present in his eyes. Syndra knew he was looking at her, but pretended as though she were oblivious.

"A word if you will, commander." He finally spoke, his voice cracked out of fear. Irelia sighed and rose from her chair, motioning for the man to lead her outside. After the pair had moved a significant distance from Syndra, the man finally spoke:

"Commander, I don't know how to go about this other than to say this directly." He paused before continuing "That woman, no, that thing… Is currently the most wanted criminal in all of Ionia. The bounty on her head exceeds the next highest bounty by more than triple the reward." Irelia blinked, and raised an eyebrow.

"Syndra? A wanted criminal?" She said doubtfully "You will need evidence of that."

The captain twitched slightly but didn't offer any words. He simply retrieved a sealed envelope from his pouch and handed it to Irelia. Irelia rolled her eyes in annoyance before taking the envelope and opening it.

Commander Irelia: 33rd Battalion

Ionia Central Command hereby orders the capture and or execution of the rouge mage Syndra (Bounty #193 Reward: 1.4M) by reason of eight accounts of murder, treason, and the destruction of Ionian land. Failure to adhere to orders will result in disciplinary action at the discretion of the head council.

Irelia lowered the letter, stunned. Syndra was a murderer and was the most wanted criminal in all of Ionian history. She searched the bottom of the letter for proof of authenticity. All eight seals of the head council were there, giving full support of the order.

"Orders, commander?" Her second in command questioned quietly. Silence. He cleared his throat and said louder.

"Orders, commander?" Irelia let out a shaky breath and swallowed hard.

"Gather some men." Irelia finally spoke, her voice hoarse and quavering.

"Yes ma'am." The man saluted quickly and hurried off in another direction. Irelia stayed for a moment longer, drawing in deep breaths and trying to calm herself. Finally, she headed back into her quarters.

Syndra still had not moved from her position on the floor when Irelia re-entered her quarters. An awkward silence filled the room, but Syndra smiled happily at Irelia when their eyes met. Irelia tried to smile back, but she couldn't.

" 'relia, something wrong?" Syndra finally asked with a worried expression on her face. Irelia bit her lip and drew in a shaky breath.

"Syndra…" She finally spoke, her voice shaky and hoarse "What did you do?" Syndra blinked in response, failing to understand what Irelia was referring to.

"They said… you destroyed our homeland, you committed treason, and you… you…murdered…" Irelia broke off, biting down on her lip trying to hold back her emotions. Syndra stood up and moved towards Irelia in effort to comfort her, but Irelia backed away.

"Did you?" Irelia finally managed to whisper.

Syndra's face grew cold and impassive, her eyes, glazed and distant.

"They lied." Syndra finally said, her voice was quiet, hollow and had an icy echo to it.

"They told me I killed you… They hid every letter you sent to me… They tried to seal my power away… They… They…" Syndra's breathing again became rapid and shallow "They can't… They won't… I won't let them... take… you…" Her voice trailed off as she watched the horror on Irelia's face grow.

"No…" Syndra spoke with quiet panic in her voice "No… It's not like that! I just want to protect you! I just-"–_BANG-_

The door to Irelia's quarters slammed open as a dozen troops flooded the room and formed a ring around Syndra, blocking Irelia from her view. Finally, Irelia spoke:

"By order… of Ionia…" Irelia's voice shook as she fought back her emotions "I hereby... demand that… you surrender yourself…" Irelia stopped as she bit down on her lip again, quelling the tears that surged to her eyes. Syndra's face went blank, as though refusing to believe what she had just heard.

"No…" She said quietly as silent tears rolled down her eyes "Not you too…" Syndra's voice raised as she spoke, her emotions constricting her throat.

Irelia's heart sank as she watched Syndra's eyes slowly sink into the depths of despair. Every inch of her wanted to rush forth and comfort her friend, but Irelia knew she had to maintain her composure. She bit down harder on her lip, drawing blood. Finally, Irelia drew her sword. She lunged with a tear-choked war cry. Syndra refused to move, instead choosing to close her eyes as though she were had no more will to live. Irelia deliberately missed the swing, instead using her momentum to push Syndra, making it look as though she had dodged the blow. Syndra's eyes snapped open upon not feeling the sword's cold steel pierce her body. Irelia looked straight into Syndra's eyes with a stare that said _Run. Please… Just run…_ Syndra understood the glance, but still refused to move, her will to live completely extinguished. Finally, Irelia whirled and sent a kick into Syndra's ribs. Syndra cried out in pain as the powerful blow sent her to the floor. Irelia screamed at her:

"I hate you! We were never friends! I…" Irelia's voice cut out as her emotions refused to allow her to lie further.

Syndra heard enough. Heartbroken, she screamed and unleashed her magic at the ceiling, completely annihilating the roof. Immediately, she lifted herself out of the encampment and flew back to her castle, simultaneously lifting the structure back into the sky and off in a random direction.

Irelia watched as the entire scene unfolded within seconds. Although Syndra had disappeared, Irelia finished her statement:

"…always loved you…." She whispered to the air.

"Shall we pursue her commander?" One of the soldiers questioned from the background.

"She escaped." Irelia replied.

"We can still-"

"I said, she escaped." Irelia interrupted through gritted teeth.

"Yes ma'am" came a hasty reply.

_Be safe, Syndra, I hope you will forgive me…_ Irelia thought to herself as she watched the floating island disappear into the sunset.


	7. Chapter 7: Epilogue

**Epilogue**:

Syndra floated onto the roof of her castle, gazing out across the vast Ionian land that expanded out before her. A few months ago, she contemplated annihilating the landscape, but she chose not to. There would be nothing left to look at if she did destroy it. Reflexively, Syndra curled and uncurled her fist, causing energy to collect and dissipate in her hand. Her power was _begging_ to be exercised. She had grown significantly over the past year. Her power was far beyond boundless, it was _infinite_. Syndra allowed herself a rare smile, though she didn't know what she was smiling about. Perhaps it was with the growth of her powers, perhaps was with her solitude… Solitude… Syndra leaned back as she toyed around with the concept. She had not broken her isolation for the past year and no one had dared come disturb her. Syndra considered causing mayhem in the balance-obsessed Ionian society, but she disregarded the idea as she did every other time she thought about it in the past. Syndra didn't remember why she refused to pester the Ionians, it was definitely for something… someone… She sighed as her memory failed her, or rather blocked her from remembering who or for what reason she didn't attack the Ionians. A few more minutes passed before Syndra finally floated back into her castle through an open window. A brief glance at a nearby wall gave Syndra a glimpse of two young girls, smiling happily together. One girl wore purple, the other wore red. Syndra looked away from the picture. She felt close to it, but once again, her memory blocked her from recalling who it was in the photograph or what they were doing. Suddenly, a glimmer in the sky caught Syndra's eye, something wanted to disturb her isolation. She turned and gazed at the approaching object. A lone figure, slim and lithe was riding on top of an ornate sword and slowly floating towards the castle. _Who is it?_ Syndra wondered, as the feeling of belonging returned to her chest, but again, she couldn't remember.

Author's Note:

I hope you guys enjoyed my very first fan fiction. I know I have a ways to go, so please take a moment to review and critique my work. I appreciate it all the same. As always, thank you for your time.


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